You leave the house feeling incredible because your makeup is on point when suddenly, tragedy strikes. Maybe you work up a sweat trying to make it to the bus, or there’s an unexpected rainstorm… either way, the consequences are the same. The mascara you painstakingly applied smudges under your eyes, making you look like a hot mess (as the kids like to say), and rendering all of your hard work useless. Maybe it’s time to buy waterproof mascara.
- What You Need to Know About Waterproof Mascara
- Top 10 Best Waterproof Mascaras 2026
- 1. Best Overall L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Original Waterproof Mascara
- 2. Best for Lash Separation Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof Mascara
- 3. Best for Intense Lashes L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise Waterproof Mascara
- 4. Best Premium Pick Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara
- 5. Best for Swimming CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof Mascara
- 6. Best Budget Pick Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Waterproof Mascara
- 7. Best for a Natural Look Maybelline New York Great Lash Waterproof Mascara
- 8. Best for Sensitive Eyes Maybelline Full 'N Soft Waterproof Mascara
- 9. Best for Length L'Oreal Paris Telescopic Original Waterproof Mascara
- 10. Best for Oily Skin Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara Super Waterproof
- In-Depth Guide to Choosing a Waterproof Mascara
- Everything Else You Ever Wanted to Know About Waterproof Mascara
- Bottom Line
What You Need to Know About Waterproof Mascara
Before we dive deep into recommendations (with a coat of waterproof mascara on our lashes, of course) there are a few things we need to cover.
Is It Better to Get Waterproof Mascara?
Almost every makeup-wearer will face situations that call for a mascara that will stay put in the face of a watery assault.
For some, it’s a daily need, like if you get teary-eyed during allergy season or if you cycle to work every morning. For others, it’s only occasional: you’ll want waterproof mascara when the forecast calls for rain or before an Instagrammable day at the beach.
Waterproof mascaras are not necessarily better than regular ones, but they do have an important place in every makeup collection.
Is Waterproof Mascara Really Waterproof?
If a mascara claims to be waterproof, it should be 100% waterproof. You should be able to wear it to the pool or gym without any fear.
When making our selection, we verified how each mascara held up when dunked into water. Almost all of the options on our list passed the water test with flying colors, but we’ll let you know about the exceptions that we still decided to recommend for other specific reasons.
Features to Consider
There are some features that almost every waterproof mascara should have, while others depend on your needs. Do you need to lengthen short lashes? To curl straight ones? If you’re not sure about your lash type, we’ve got you covered with a handy guide.
Here, we go through the major effects a waterproof mascara can give and help you figure out which will be right for you. We go into even more detail about these features later on.
Long-Wearing
Longevity is a non-negotiable feature for waterproof mascara, so we focused on selecting ones that look amazing all day. There is still room for variety: some mascaras are less long-wearing but easier to remove, while others can hold up against anything but are tough to take off. We’ll let you know exactly how each mascara fares in our reviews.
Volumizing
A volumizing mascara helps to build up eyelash thickness by coating each lash. It makes them look fuller and more dramatic – Bambi in the best-case scenario or a tarantula in the worst-case scenario.
It’s the effect to look for if you have sparse lashes or if you just love drama. If you prefer a subtle makeup look, you’ll want a mascara that gives minimal volume. We’ll let you know exactly how much volume each mascara provides.
Length
This one is self-explanatory. Almost all mascaras are designed to add length to the lashes since it’s a feature almost everyone wants! The exception is glasses-wearers and those with naturally long lashes, who may not want intense length. We’ll let you know what to expect in each review.
Curl
If your lashes are straight or downturned, you’ll want a mascara that can lift them and keep a curl in place. Waterproof mascaras usually do a better job of holding a curl, so you’re safe with most options. However, the texture and wand shape will also have an impact, so we’ll let you know when a mascara truly excels at curling.
Separation
We love the look of fanned out lashes, so we appreciate a good separating mascara. The main benefit of separating mascaras is that they keep the lashes from clumping together and looking spidery.
However, separating mascaras are often less volumizing and vice versa, so you might have to prioritize one feature over the other. We’ll let you know how much separation AND volume each mascara offers so you can find the right balance.
Easy to Remove
Waterproof mascaras are notoriously difficult to remove. That’s the point, though – the easier a mascara is to take off, the likelier that it’ll smudge when you least expect. However, if you have sensitive skin, scrubbing harshly around the eyes can be irritating, not to mention that you can lose precious eyelashes.
We included some easy-to-remove options, but if you still end up with a persistent mascara, try our gentle removal technique, which gets rid of every last speck without irritating.
Other Considerations
Some preferences are subjective. Would you like a colorful tube of mascara or do you prefer slick packaging? Would you prefer a brown mascara over a black one? Are you committed to only buying vegan or cruelty-free? We’ll point out these details and anything else that makes each mascara unique.
Now that you know what to expect out of an amazing waterproof mascara, here are our favorites for every need.
Top 10 Best Waterproof Mascaras 2026
1. Best Overall L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Original Waterproof Mascara
Editor’s Rating:
Features:
- Wand: Traditional Nylon
- Colors: Black, Carbon Black, or Black Brown
- Cruelty-Free: No
Performance:
It’s been more than two decades since L’Oreal released this simple mascara design, and it hasn’t undergone many changes since. Why mess with perfection? The most fashionable modern celebs adore it, including Kim K and Patrick Ta.
But why do we like it? Let’s start with the formula. As you can guess from the name, this mascara is seriously volumizing. It has a thick texture that coats the lashes thoroughly and sticks to itself. This is perfect for holding a curl and makes it easy to build up volume and length. It dries down quickly, so you’ll want to work fast. The bonus is that it won’t accidentally smudge on your eyelids and ruin your eyeshadow.
It has an old-school nylon wand, which keeps the lashes separated on the first coat and looks soft and natural. With additional coats, as it amps up the volume and intensity, it can slightly compromise on separation. That said, the right application technique can help you avoid that.
Because this mascara offers a little bit of every effect, it’s a favorite for makeup artists – it’s the one mascara that they can use on nearly every single client.
Longevity:
This mascara is truly waterproof, to the point where it’ll hold up against total submersion. At the end of the day, it’s easy to remove with an oil-based makeup remover. This, combined with the fact that it’s fragrance-free, makes it a good choice for those with sensitive skin or eyes. However, if your eye area gets oily, then it can smudge.
Pros
- Balance of volume, length, and separation
- Soft-looking lashes
- Buildable for diverse application styles
- Easy to remove
- Fragrance-free
Cons
- Waterproof but not oil-proof
2. Best for Lash Separation Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof Mascara
Editor’s Rating:
Features:
- Wand: Curved Plastic
- Colors: Brownish-Black or Very Black
- Cruelty-Free: No
Performance:
This mascara has one of the prettiest effects we’ve ever seen. It has a curved wand made of plastic, with long bristles on one side and short ones on the other. The long bristles lift, separate and define the lashes while still adding quite a bit of volume and length. It fans out the lashes in a way that widens the lash line, which opens up the eye and looks dramatic and feminine.
The shorter bristles, on the other hand, aren’t particularly useful. We find that they don’t cover the lashes evenly or maintain separation. We recommend applying this mascara only with the long-bristled side.
The fragrance-free formula itself gives an immense amount of length in just one coat. It’s buildable, so you can almost mimic the look of false lashes with additional layers. If you want a more subtle separating mascara, you might prefer Covergirl Lash Blast.
Longevity
Lash Sensation impresses with its longevity, as it tends to maintain the lift, length, and separation even after 12 hours of wear. For some, this might be a drawback, since it’s so difficult to remove. When it comes to oily lids, it holds up slightly better than L’Oreal Voluminous but not as well as Lash Paradise.
Pros
- Separates lashes for a fanned-out effect
- Gives incredible length and decent volume
- Looks dramatic with just one coat
- Extremely long-lasting effects
- Fragrance-free
Cons
- Hard to remove
- The short side of wand isn’t convenient
3. Best for Intense Lashes L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise Waterproof Mascara
Editor’s Rating:
Features:
- Wand: Hourglass-Shaped Nylon
- Colors: Black or Blackest Black
- Cruelty-Free: No
Performance:
This is the most dramatic waterproof mascara on our list. It’s even more volumizing than the original L’Oreal Voluminous, so it makes the lashes look extremely intense in just a couple of coats, and it also offers very dramatic length.
It has a big nylon wand with an hourglass shape, which is curved enough to grab each lash on the lashline, but not so curved that it deposits too much mascara. As far as separation goes, we’d say it’s about comparable to the original Voluminous, so it doesn’t fan out the lashes or enhance separation, but it also doesn’t clump them together.
The texture is very creamy so it takes a little longer to dry than your average waterproof mascara. The benefit is that you can add more and more coats for volume and length without having to worry about the lashes looking spidery. Some wet mascaras can undo the effects of a lash curler, but that’s not an issue with this one.
Longevity:
This mascara is extremely waterproof, so when the time comes for removal, things can get tough. You’ll want to take your time and be patient when trying to break it down and take it off. Because it’s so difficult to remove, it holds up well against oily skin.
Pros
- Dramatic and intense volumizing results
- Looks good with additional coats
- Extremely waterproof
- Holds up well against oily skin
Cons
- Slow to dry
- Difficult to remove
Editor’s Rating:
Features:
- Color: Black
- Wand: Hourglass-Shaped Nylon Wand
- Cruelty-Free: Yes
Performance:
With such a provocative name, it’s not surprising that Better Than Sex became iconic pretty much immediately upon release. However, it also became iconic because of its intense lash-enhancing effects.
Its effects are similar to L’Oreal Lash Paradise, but that’s because Better Than Sex is the original. It’s pretty common for drugstore brands to make more affordable versions of expensive high-end products, which is probably what happened here.
Because they’re so similar, let’s talk about how they differ. We mentioned that Lash Paradise is slow to dry, but Better Than Sex is even slower, especially when fresh. This is good for building up layers, but it’s impossible to use in a rush. Thankfully, the dry-time vastly improves a week or two after the mascara has been opened.
The wand itself has slightly longer bristles and a more prominent hourglass shape. This makes it a little messier to use, but the results are just a hint more volumizing with the same level of length and a little less separation. Folks, we’re splitting (lash)hairs here – seeing these differences requires intense side-by-side analysis.
One area where this mascara really stands out is in its gorgeous packaging. The metallic, aqua-colored tube feels weighty and expensive, and it’s covered in raised dots that look just like water droplets and add a magical touch.
The final benefit it has over Lash Paradise is that it’s cruelty-free, so while it costs a little more, it’s also a more ethical product to buy.
Longevity:
While this mascara is definitely waterproof and long-wearing, it’s not as resistant to oils as Lash Paradise. If you have oily lids, go for Lash Paradise, but if you prefer easy removal, then this is the better choice.
Pros
- The most volumizing mascara on our list